Leather-stretcher



2 Sheets-Sheet 1. R. S.. JENNINGS.

LEATHER STRETGHER.

.Patented Nov. 18, 1884.

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R. S. JENNINGS.

LEATHER STRETGHBR.

No. 308,171. Patented Nov; 18, 1884;

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

RALPH S. JENNINGS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

LEATHER-STRETC-HER.

SPECIFICATION forming` part of Letters Patent No. 308,171, datedNovember 18, 1884.

Application filed September 19, 1883.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH S. JENNINGs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Leather-Stretchers,of which the following is a specification, reference being had thereinto the accompanying drawings.

Figurel is a top plan View of the lower part of astretching mechanismembodying my improvement.

t through the whole mechanism, showing the of the stretching devices.

upper and lower frames. Figs. 3 and 4 show modified forms of certainparts. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the leather and some Figs. 6and 7 show a modification of the means for securing the frames together.

In the drawings, A A represent the side` pieces; A2 A3,the end pieces ofthe frame, upon which the other'parts of the mechanism are supported,and to which there may be legs A4 A*, if desired. Upon the frame thuspro` duced there are arranged several rows of projections adapted toengage with one side of the leather and effecting a stretching thereof.

I prefer to have them of the form shown-that is to say, they consist ofround-surfaced proj ections situated in rows both transversely andlongitudinally of the frame, the projec tions of each row being arrangedat a distance apart substantially equal to the horizontal diameter ofeach projection; but these features maybe varied more or less. I havefound that if the projections be of the form of segments of spheres,they operate to the greatest advantage, as the pressure can be moreuniformly distributed over the surface of theleather than if they be ofother shapes. These projections may be either formed integrally withsupporting-'barsB B, adapted to be secured to the frame, or they may bemade separately from the bars and adapted to be secured thereto; or theprojections may be formed of wood, or may be cast in metal and securedto the wood, or cast in plates like that shown in Fig. 3, or cast withmetal bars, like that in Fig. 4, and when made las in this Fig. 2 is alongitudinal section Renewed April 23, 1884. (No model.)

last-described method frames'of various sizes 5o can be supplied.

D D represent a movable platen, table, or frame, it also carryingprojections constructed and arranged -substantially similarly to thoseon the other frame. As shown in Fig. 2,the projections B2 in this caseare secured to the-frame by means of bars E E. The projections B aresituated relatively to the path of travel of the movable frame in thesame line with the recesses or open spaces between the projections onthe other frame, and when the movable frame is forced against the otherthe projections on the one will pass those on the other somewhat.

By examining the drawings it will be seen that the projections on theframes can be so arranged as to form rows both transversely andlongitudinally, the longitudinal rows corresponding with the recessesonthe transverse rows, and as a result of this construction the leatherwhen being treated will be stretched not only ontransverse lines,lb'utalso on longitudinal lines-that is to say, theslack or loose part willbe taken out in both directions.

O represents a roller mounted across the machine at one end. With it arecombined devices for gripping the leather, which may be of the form ofordinarytenter-hooks, as at a. At the other end ofthe frame there aresimilar hooks or fastening devices, c2, which may be, if desired,attached to a roller or attached to some stationary part of the machine.The slack produced in stretching the leather can be readily taken up bymeans of the roller or rollers, and with the latter are combinedratchets or other devices for positively locking them, so that when theyhave been turned more or less they can be prevented from retracting whenthe leather is under strain.

C represents a roller by the side of the ma- 9o chine, to which one ofthe side edges of the leather is secured, the other side edge beingsuitably fastened either to the frame or to another roller. ByV means ofthese rollers the transverse slack or looseness can be taken up and theleather kept taut. The movable platen or frame can be carried to andfrom the other in any suitable way.

' the leather is in place.

I have shown in the drawings devices by means of which great power canbe exerted, and which at the same time will permit the 'movement of theparts to be delicately'ad- 5 justed.

F F are screw-rods, there being in the construction shown in Figs. l and2 one of these at each corner of the table, though it will be readilyseen that a single screw or more could be used in any of the well-knownways to accomplish the purpose. As shown, each is mounted on the lowerframe in a sleeve, F, and each engages with a nut, F2, on the movableframe or platen, and when the screws are rotated thevplaten will becarried up or down.

Any well-known mechanism can be used to cause a simultaneous rotation ofall the screwrods. That shown consists of a series of beveled wheels, h,on the screw rods, beveled wheels h', carried by cross-shafts, andbeveled wheels fi, carried by a side shaft, I. When the crank I on thelatter shaft is turned in one direction, the platen will be carriedl up,and when turned in the opposite direction, down.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I have shown a form of the.

stretcher especially adapted to permit a large number of hides to bestowed away in a drying-room or other place. The frames are here forcedtogether by means of levers, which can be fastened in any preferred wayafter the desired tension has been reached; or, instead of either of themethods and devices above shown for the purpose of bringing framestogether, the gravity of the upper one may be depended upon, or itsgravity may be supplemented by the weight of additional material placedthereon for the purpose of forcing it down after Vhile the leather isheld stationary it is forced into such position that in longitudinalsection there is given a sinuous or undulating line, as shown in Fig. 5,the leather at this time being held stationary and the sinuous orundulating line extending from substantially one end of the leather tothe other. It will be also seen that when the projections are made inthe manner described, if a section be taken through a row oftheprojections transversely of t-he machine, the leather will describe aline which is sinuous or wavy. Y

As the leather is pressed in the manner above described over theprojections there are formed in it cup-shaped cavities or depressions,in forming the walls of which the slack is taken out of the leather inboth directions.

It will be seen that the invention relates to an improvement in the artof stretching leather consisting in applying pressure upon oppositesides of the same in both a longitudinal direction and in a transversedirection while the leather is under tension-that is to say, while thatportion of it which is being stretched is prevented from being pulled ordrawn bodily relatively to the stretching devices. The preventing ofsuch a bodily movement may be effected by any well-known device adaptedto such a purpose. I have shown ratchet wheels and pawls combined withrollers to accomplishthis result,rand have arranged them outside of thetwo sets of projections and open spaces; but it will be readily seenthat for these could be substituted other means for preventing theleather from moving bodily while the sets of projections of howsoevergreat a number are effecting the stretching.

1. The herein-described improvement in the art of stretching leatherwhile under tenl sion, which consists in applying pressure upon oppositesides of the same in both a longitudinal direction and in a transversedirection, whereby the slack or looseness of the fibers of the leatheris taken up in both of said directions Aat once, substantially as setforth.

2. 'Ihe improvement in the art of stretching leather while undertension, which consists in applying pressure upon opposite sides of thesame in both a longitudinal and a transverse direction, then relievingit of such pressure and taking up the slack by applying further tension,substantially as set forth.

3. In a leather-stretcher, the combination of a frame with projectionsarranged to form both several transverse series, those of each seriesbeing isolated from each other by intervening recesses, and also severallongitudinal series of projections, each series of these longitudinalprojections being on the longitudinal line of one of the aforesaidseries of recesses, an opposing frame with corresponding projections andrecesses, the projections on one side of the leather being opposite tothe recesses on the other side, and vice versa, substantially as setforth.

4. In a mechanism for stretching leather, the combination of the frameon one side of the leather, a series of projections on said frame, theframe on the other side of the leather, a series of projections thereonalternating with those on the first aforesaid frame, andmeans forforcing said frames toward each other, whereby the leather is caused totake substantially the position shown-that is to say, such position thata section through it gives a wavy or sinuous line from substantially oneend to the other, as set forth.

5. The combination of the supporting devices upon one side of theleather arranged to form supports for the leather on lines trans-4 versethereto with intervening spaces on transverse lines and to formlongitudinal supports with intervening longitudinal lines of openspaces, means for forcing the leather down into the said open spaces,devices at one end of the series of supports for holding the leatherstationary, and devices at the other end of the series of supports forholding it also stationary there, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of the supporting devices upon one side of theleather arranged, substantially as set forth, to provide open IOO IIO

spaces between the supports into which the leather can be pressed,afralne upon the other substantially as set forth. 1o side of theleather, projections carried thereby In-testimony whereof I affix mysignature in and adapted, substantially as set forth, to presence of tWowitnesses.

5 press the leather into said open spaces, the I RALPH S. J ENNIN GS.

projections to or into the said open spaces,

L means which prevent the leather from moving Witnesses:

bodily, and a lever adapted, substantially as J. C. BATES, described, tocause an approaching of the said A. C. Goss.

